Knitting-machine



KNITTING MACH-INE. l

Patented Mar. 25.1890.'

N Pneus. Prim-ummm". wmhingum D. cA

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. S. LONG. KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 424,011. PatentedMar. 25, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT HENRYS. LONG, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

KNlTTING-IVIACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,011, dated March 25, 1,890.

Applicatin led .Tune 22, 1886.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY S. LONG, a citizen of the United States, residing a't 2043` Coral street, city of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in KnittiHg-IVIachineS, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in knitting-machines; and it consists in certain novel constructions for actuating the knitting mechanism, and in devices adapted to prevent accidental breakage of the yarn.

Many'of the partsillustrated present n0 novelty, and are shown to render the situation and operation of the novel devices more clear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a double machine, or, rather, of two machines, identical in most parts but modified in certain respects, and connected togetherto be driven by power applied between them. Fig. 21s an elevation of the machine upon the right in Fig. l, seen from the right. Fig. 3. is an elevation of the machine upon the left in Fig. 1, seen from the left.- Fig. 4 shows, upon a largervscale and in plan, the devices for throwing the mechanisminto and out of engagement with the lower or power shaft of Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 5 is a partial vertical section through the aXis of the shaft 4. Fig. 6 is a section on the line n of Fig. 5, looking to the right.

In the figures, A A2 are columns supporting a suitable bed or table A, upon which rests the rotating cylinders 3 of the knittingmachines, which offer in' themselves no novelty, andwhich are therefore neither shown nor described in detail, but are designated by the generic phrase knitting mechanism. rI-he cylinders are actuated by bevel-gears l, mounted rigidly upon shafts 4, which revolve freely in bearings formed integrally with or rigidly attached to the frame of the knitter. Upon the outer end of these shafts are fixed crank-wheels 5, provided with handcranks 2. A sprocket-wheel G is loosely mounted upon the shaft in proximity to the wheel 5,and this is connected by a chain-belt H with a corresponding sprocket F upon a power shaft B, mounted in suitable bearings upon the columns A A2. This power-shaft is shown as driven b f a treadle E actin 0 through y J a C Serial No. 205,856. (No model.)

a pitman-bar D and crank D; but may evidently be actuated by gears, belts, or the equivalent from any power-driven shaft.

By means of mechanism shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 either of the sprockets may be disengaged from its shaft; but I have shown the mechanism only upon the shaft 4 in the machine a, Fig. l, and upon the shaft B in the machine l), Fig. l. Upon the outer face of the sprocket G, Fig. 5, are lugs l0, which fit corresponding recesses in the inner faces of the wheels 5, or in the inner ends of the cranks 2, which pass through the wheels, and thus cause when in engagement the rotation of the shaft 4 simultaneously with the loosely-mounted sprocket. A spring G', coiled about the shaft 4, between the wheel and sprocket, tends to press them out of engagement, and this tendency is overcome by a lever K, which is first pressed against the sprocket, overcoming the force of the spring, and then raised into the space between the sprocket-hub and a shoulder 19 upon the shaft-bearing. In the drawings the outer end of the shaft-bearing is shown asof the same diameter as the outer end of the shaft itself, so that when out of engagement the sprocket may slide partially over the bearing, and the latter is notched upon its lower side to permit the lever K to be raised nearly to the smaller part of the shaft 4. Disengagement may be effected by the depression of the lever by the hand or automatically by unusual tension upon the thread 6 as it passes from the bobbin 7 to the cylinder 3, Fig. l, a, and Fig. 2, for in its course the thread passes upward over the end of a lever L4, pivoted at its middle upon a support L5, and when the tension is for, any reason increased the lever is drawnA down and the power is disconnected from the cylinder 3. This result is effected by means of a wire rod L3 connecting the opposite end of the lever L4 with the corresponding end of a second lever L', pivoted at ll upon the column A2, and engaging at its other end a vertical rod L, sliding in a bearing 12 upon the frame of the machine and secured by a set-screw 9 to the clutch-lever K. The normal tension upon the thread is insufficient to raise a weight L2, adj ustably mounted on the lever L', and the tension requisite to depress the clutch-lever K de- IOO pends, evidently, upon the position of this weight, which is varied with the character of the thread employed. The weight also serves to counterbalanee or overbalance', if desired, 5 the weight of the rod L and its connections or attachments. Upon this rod L are adjustably fixed by means of thumb-screws N' and M horizontal stops N M, directly in the line of the descent of the weight O', attached to IO the work as it comes from the knitter. The stop M is in many machines so placed that the weight O' strikes it at the moment when a certain part of the work is completed-aa for example, when the leg of a stocking has been formed to the point where the knitting of the foot should begin-and the other stop N serves to mark similarly some other stage of the work. IVhen the descending weight strikes either of these stops, the rod L is de 2O pressed, and the shaft 4 is thereby disengaged from the sprocket G, stopping the action of the cylinder until the lever K is again raised.

In the machine b, Fig. l, the devices just described are slightly modified, the weighted lever L' being connected to the top of the rod L and pivoted upon the shaft et, and the rod being kept in position by a sleeve-bearing 8, fixed upon the fioor, while the disengagement from the power is effected upon the lower shaft B. The clutch for engaging the shaft B and sprocket F is seen in Fig. 4, and upon a smaller scale in Fig. l. A disk F is secured upon the shaft B bya set-screwpassingthrough its hub, Fig. I, and the adjacent face of the loosely-mounted sprocket is provided with projections adapted to enter depressions in its face, and, as before, an interposed spring tends to keep the sprocket disengaged from the disk.

A bent lever F3, Figs. l, 3, and 4, lying in a groove of the sprocket-hub and pivoted at its extremity to the column A', serves to throw the sprocket into engagement by sliding it upon the shaft B. The lever is secured in position by a bar F4, fixed to the rod L and provided Vupon itsupper face with a retaining-knob F5, adjustable longitudinallyin a slot in the bar. Now, the lever being fixed as to vertical motion, evidently depression of the rod L and its attached bar and knob releases the lever and allows the spring to disengage the sprocket from the disk F', stopping the knitter. The means by which this rod may be depressed are precisely the same as in the machine a,

Fig. l, already described.

.I have shown the pitman-bar D as perforated at several points to permit varying the height of the treadle, and have indicated in 6o dotted lines in Fig. 3 that the treadle maybe reversed and with the shaft B maybe placed upon the opposite side of the columns A A2.

What I claim isl. The combination, with the knitting-cylinder and its driving means, of devices providing for the engagement and disengagement of the driving-connections, a pivoted lever having one arm adapted to engage the thread and deiiect it from a straight line between the bobbin and said knitting-cylinder, 7o and devices intermediate between the other arm of said lever and said provisions for engagement and disengagement, whereby the knitting mechanism may be stopped by tension upon the thread before such tension reaches the breaking point.

2. In a knitting-machine, the combination, with the knitting mechanism, a power-shaft, and clutch mechanism transmitting motion from said shaft to said knitting mechanism, 8o of a thread-guide placed at one side of a straight line between the bobbin and said knitting mechanism, andv devices intermediate between said guide and said clutch mechanism, whereby as the guide is moved by tension upon the thread the disengagement of the clutch mechanism will be permitted.

3. The combination, with the knitting mechanism of a knitting-machine and a powershaft transmitting motion thereto through a 9o clutch mechanism, of the tension-lever L4, pivoted upon a iixed support and deflecting the thread in its course from the bobbin to the cylinder, the pivoted lever L', the rod L3, connect-ing corresponding ends of the levers L L4, `the vertically-movable rod L, attached to the opposite end of the lever L', and the lever K, fixed to said rod L and controlling the engagement of said clutch mechanism.

4. The combination of the knitting-cylinroo der, the eentrally-pivoted lever L4, having one end adapted to engage the thread and deflect it between the bobbin and the knitting-cylinder, the similarly-pivoted lever L', the weight L2, adj ustably mounted upon the lever L', the rod L3, connecting corresponding ends of said levers, the vertically-movable rod L, jointed to the opposite end of the lever L', clutch mechanism transmitting motive power to said cylinder, and the lever K, 11o attached to the rod L and normally holding said clutch mechanism in engagement, but permitting its disengagement when the lever is depressed, whereby unusual tension upon the thread automatically stops the knittingx15 cylinder.

HENRY S. LONG.

Vitnesses:

J GORDON SHOWAKER, JOHN M. OBRILEN. 

